how many times a cartridge case has been fired

I'm in the process of working up a load for my model 70 in 7mm rem mag, and I was wondering if the number of times a case has been fired could possibly affect accuracy. I have cases that have been fired anywhere from one to three times, I have them in baches based on the number of timed shot so it wouldn't be a big deal to load them that way, I was just wondering. Thanks in advance for any info.

What you need to focus on is the length of the case. After firing and reloading the case stretches slightly which can and will effect the pressures in the chamber. The length being too long could cause catastrophic failure of the gun. A good inspection of the case both visual and using digital vernier calipers or a micrometer will help you keep from blowing up your rifle and or your hand. The pressure difference from factory length will also effect accuracy.

When I reload my 9mm ammo, after careful inspection, I usually will only re-use my brass about 4 to 5 times max. Definitely use a caliper to measure the round for proper length to stay within specs. Label your brass to make sure there's no mixups (ie:twice fired etc etc) I'm not sure what the tolerances are on a 7mm casing but that's just my rule of thumb. You can never be too attentive or too careful when making reloads. I have noticed a slight difference in accuracy even when I get to about the 3rd or 4th time fired. Pressures will change and if you're not careful it could cost you a pretty penny.

Thats good advice G17. As well you will notice a difference from powder to powder and from different bullet manufacturers. It will be trial and error on you part.

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Thanks doc. With that being said I stick with the same powder as much as I can to avoid these issues. Does it matter much? Yea maybe, but I like to stay consistent. Depending on how much powder I have left depends on how many bullets I buy. I'm sure the tolerances might be a little better with a larger casing but regardless, consistency is the key to reloading IMO. I sure have been sticking with VihtaVuori powder lately. Love it!

That's all great advise, and I'm already doing all of the stuff yall said, but I was wanting to know if there would be ANY accuracy discrepancies at all in cases that have been fired twice and cases that have been fired three times

Pistol brass can be used well over 5 or 6 times. I have some that has been reloaded 10 or 12 times and is still going strong. If you are reloading for a glock (Not recommended) That is the main reason your brass life is short. Noting bad about the glock it is just an unsupported chamber thus causing problems with brass failure on reloads. That is why they tell you not to use reloads in glock barrels.

The 7mm rem mag is harder on brass than 9mm. The 7mm rm is going to have case head separation problems. It is a high pressure round and will have a much shorter life than pistol brass. The brass of the 7mm rm might need to be trimmed every other or every 3 reloading. My 45acp haven't changed since the day I got them.

The biggest problem in reloading rifle brass is the work hardening of the case neck. That is easily taken care of by annealing your brass every other reloading cycle.

Personally i refuse to buy a glock one of the big reasons is i reload and often pickup once fired brass others shoot. I can always tell a glock fired a case by the bulge next to the head. Bulged cases is a sign of imminent kaboom. Thos cases i toss as they are unsafe. I firmly believe glock chambers are defective due to the extreme nature of their unsupported portion of the case.

As rifle cases get longer they can be trimmed. Case life can be greatly extended if you only neck-size the cases(must be shot in the same rifle). Case head separation WILL happen in magnum rifle cases if they are reloaded and full-length re-sized each time. Case separation can ruin your day if the front half of the shell sticks tight in the chamber. No one can tell you how many times you can reload your cases as it varies a lot between different guns, calibers, and loads. Everything you do when you reload effects the accuracy, everything.

Pistol brass can be used well over 5 or 6 times. I have some that has been reloaded 10 or 12 times and is still going strong. If you are reloading for a glock (Not recommended) That is the main reason your brass life is short. Noting bad about the glock it is just an unsupported chamber thus causing problems with brass failure on reloads. That is why they tell you not to use reloads in glock barrels.

The 7mm rem mag is harder on brass than 9mm. The 7mm rm is going to have case head separation problems. It is a high pressure round and will have a much shorter life than pistol brass. The brass of the 7mm rm might need to be trimmed every other or every 3 reloading. My 45acp haven't changed since the day I got them.

The biggest problem in reloading rifle brass is the work hardening of the case neck. That is easily taken care of by annealing your brass every other reloading cycle.

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Well that's why I bought a kkm precision match grade barrel. It will literally shoot anything